Seeing Double
by megann310
Summary: It's the The Parent Trap, Messer style.
1. Chapter 1

**I'm going to warn you, the first four chapters of this story are short and pretty boring, but I just wanted to get through them so that the fun can begin :) I promise the rest of the story won't be this short. **

**Plot: Lucy Messer and Lydia Monroe don't know each other, but when they meet at camp, they realize they have a lot more in common than just sharing the same cabin. **

**Disclaimer: Nothing's mine. At least, not the stuff that you recognize. **

I was going to camp. Never in my life had I gone to camp, but now I was suddenly being shipped off to California for three weeks out of my summer vacation. This is not how I want to spend a part of my vacation. People like me just don't go to camp. We don't belong.

"You can't send me away! I'm going to be all alone. I could get eaten by a bear or something," I argued with my dad as he drove me to the airport. He rolled his eyes in response, which earned him a glare from me.

"Lucy, you aren't going to be alone. You're teacher from last year is a counselor at this camp. She's taking all the girls from your class, so I really don't think you'll be alone. And if you see a bear, I'd suggest you run. I'd hate to get a phone call saying you've been eaten," he said, smirking at me.

"But Daddy, why do I have to go? Why can't I just stay in the city with you?"

"Because I've already paid for you to go. I don't see why you're making such a huge deal out of this. Bailey will be with you, so you're going to have a good time," he said. I looked out the car window and realized that we were close to the airport. He was right, my best friend Bailey would be with me, but that didn't mean I was going to enjoy all that nature stuff any more than I would without her. Besides, she'd be busy horseback riding or swimming in the lake. After all, she was from Colorado, so she was used to the nature. I, however, had lived in the city my entire life. The closest I've ever been to nature is at Central Park, which is hardly the same thing.

"Still, I don't think I should have to go. I mean, I know you'll think it'll be a great experience for me, but you never went to camp, and look how great you turned out," I said, grinning at him. He smiled back.

"Well, I appreciate the compliment, but you're still going," he said. I groaned as he parked the car and got out. I thought about staying in the car and refusing to leave. I'd scream if he tried to pull me out, sort of like on my first day of kindegarten, but I couldn't get away with that stuff anymore. So I got out of the car and walked with my dad to the inside of the airport. We found my teacher, Mrs. Thompson, and the group of girls who were all saying goodbye to their parents. I turned to face my dad.

"Last chance to take me home. If you do, I promise I'll never do anything bad ever again," I said. When he just stared at me, I just wrapped my arms around him. "Well, I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too, baby girl," he said, kissing the top of my head.

"If you're going to miss me so much, then why don't you let me stay?" I grumbled under my breath as I walked away to meet Bailey. All I heard him do was laugh and tell me to have a good time. Yeah, right.


	2. Chapter 2

The second I heard the pilot say that the plane was about to land at the small airport in California, I couldn't keep the butterflies out of my stomach. Of course, they were excited butterflies. It was the same feeling I got everytime I was about to go to camp. Just knowing that the bus to take me to camp would be waiting for me when I landed made me want to jump for joy. Camp was my favorite place to go. It had been for the past few years, which was how long I had been going for. It was meant to only be a one time thing, but when I told my mom about how much fun I had and all the friends I made, she decided she would let me go every summer.

"Are you ready, sweetheart?"

I looked up at the flight attendant who was supposed to be looking after me on the plane ride, and I realized that we had landed and almost everyone was off the plane. I grinned at her.

"I sure am."

The woman smiled as I grabbed my carry on bag, then she guided me off the plane so I could go to my home away from home.

_______________________________

The camp was already crowded with girls by the time I got there. Thankfully I already knew the cabin I was in so I could skip the standing around with all the confused girls and quickly settle in. Then I'd be able to start having fun sooner.

"Lydia!"

I turned around at the sound of my name and smiled when I saw my two best camp friends running to me. Gabby, the girl who had called out my name, was the first to reach me. She almost tackled me with her hug. Brittany hugged me next, and even though her hug wasn't as strong as Gabby's, she was equally as excited to see me.

"How have you been?" Brittany asked as the three of us began walking to our cabin.

"I've been good. I'm so glad to be back here, though. I've missed you both," I said.

"We've missed you, too," Gabby said. "In fact, we were so excited to see you that we went up and started hugging some random girl we thought was you!"

"You didn't!" I said, laughing.

"Oh, we did," Brittany stated, joining me in laughter, "I don't think she was too happy about it. But she sure did look like you."

The three of us then continued to laugh, joke, and catch each other up on life as we got to our cabin and unpacked. These three weeks were going to be amazing.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey Messer!"

I looked up from my bowl of mac and cheese and saw Bailey make her way across the cafeteria to where I was sitting.

"What's up?" I asked before I shoved a forkful of the mac and cheese into my mouth. I cringed at the taste of it. No matter how many times the cook argued about it with me, I still say that my dad makes the best macaroni and cheese.

"Why is it I only see you in here eating food? I mean, you've actually become friends with the cook! Why don't you come swimming with me or something?" she asked.

"Ew, in that lake. No thanks, you don't know what might be in there," I said.

"Oh come on, it's not like you're swimming in the East River. It's just a lake!" she said.

"That's not what I was talking about. What if the Loch Ness Monster's cousin lives in there?" I asked.

"Why are you always so dramatic?" Bailey asked, and I shrugged.

"I dunno. Look, I stay in here because there isn't anything for me to do. And don't say you'll teach me how to ride a horse. That's never gonna happen."

"There are so many things for you to do!" she said. When I didn't respond, she sighed loudly. "Look, I hear a bunch of girls are about to play baseball. We can be on the same team and kick their butts."

I thought about it for a second, then i figured playing baseball would be more fun than stuffing my face for the fourth day in a row. Besides, it would be an easy win for me. I mean, come on, what did some country girls know about baseball?

_____________________________________

Seriously, the isolation cabin. I got sent to the isolation cabin. Sure, I had jumped one of the kids durng the game, but it was only because she kept making totally unfair calls. I knew I shouldn't have played with them. Country kids really didn't know anything about baseball. I was getting it right, they were getting it wrong.

Okay, so maybe it was a little wrong to attack one of the girls over a game, but hey, I'm bored out of my mind here! I needed some action. But it wasn't like they had to send me to the isolation cabin. Now I could only see Darcy the Cook three times a day.

Oh God, I've been eating more than three times a day now? I really am my father's daughter, I guess. Speaking of Dad....

I went into my bag and pulled out the stationary kid he had gotten me before I left. I went to lay on my bed and began writing.

_Dear Dad,_

_I hate it here. I'm thinkin' since I'm already in California, I'll just run away to Los Angeles so I can be with 'city people' again. Maybe while I'm there, I'll become an actress. But if my body's found in a ditch on the side of the road because I starved to death trying to get there, I blame you for sending me to this horrible place. _

_Love your wonderful daughter who you shouldn't torture like this, _

_Lucy_

I smiled as I folded the paper and put it inside an envelope. There, that should make him feel guilty.


	4. Chapter 4

How could this be happening to me? I'm Lydia Monroe, the girl who never gets in trouble. And yet here I am, standing outisde of the isolation cabin, which would be my new home for the rest of the time I'm at camp. No, this isn't right. I love camp. I should be staying in the same cabin as Gabby and Brittany. I didn't deserve this. I don't even understand how I can be the one in trouble. It wasn't like I had started the food fight. They caught me about to throw food, but everyone was doing it! And I didn't start it!

Now as I was walking up the stairs to the lonely cabin, all I could see was the sympathetic looks on Gabby and Brittany's face as one of the counselors told me to pack my stuff. Now I wouldn't hardly get to see them. But wait, from what I've heard, someone's already staying in the isolation cabin. Maybe we can be friends. Wait, what am I talking about? It's the isolation cabin! The other girl was probably some really bad person who my mother would hate me being around. So much for this trip to camp being fun. I was being forced to stay in the same cabin as a person I'd probably see on _America's Most Wanted_ years from now.

As I walked into the cabin, I saw the girl sitting on her bed. She looked up at me and my jaw dropped. She didn't look like a criminal at all. Because if she looked like a criminal, then that would mean I would have to look like one, too. The girl looks just like me!

How creepy.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for the reviews! I'm not sure if I'm liking this story so far, but I'm about to get to the fun part, so, maybe I'll feel better about it. And I'm glad that there are people who do like it. And I hope you enjoy this chapter =]**

It's been a week since Lydia moved into the isolation cabin, and the two of us have gotten along, but there's still the whole thing about her looking just like me. None of us have said anything about it, though. But I can't do that anymore. Everything about her seems to be the same as me. Well, everything but her personality. She's shy, which I'm not. But her eyes are the same blue as mine. And her smile is the same crooked one as mine, which is funny, because the only other person with that same smile is my dad. The color of her hair is a pretty light brown, and it's got the same loose curls as mine. This is just way too weird.

"I'm finally going to state the obvious. We look just like each other," I say. She looks up from the book she was reading and glances at me.

"I know," she says.

I get up from my bed and go to hers. She's sitting on the edge of her bed now, and I sit next to her.

"Is it just a coincidence?" I ask. She shrugs, and then there is silence as we stare at each other.

"I'm sorry," she says after a minute of us staring at each other, "I just have to know. How old are you?"

Obviously, she's thinking the same thing that I am.

"I'm eleven," I answer. She nods, and somehow, I can tell that she was expecting to hear that answer.

"Same with me," she says. She looks down at her lap for a second, then looks back at me, "This can't be happening, can it? I mean, things like this don't just happen in real life. Do they?"

Even though she didn't tell me what 'this' is, I know exactly what she's talking about.

"I don't know," I say, shrugging, "I saw a movie like this once. It had that Lindsay Lohan girl in it."

"But that's a movie! Things like this just don't happen! My birthday's May sixth. Please tell me yours isn't, and then this can all just be some freaky coincidence," she says.

"My birthday's May sixth," I respond. I watch as her jaw drops.

"No, no, no! This isn't possible. My mother, she would have told me if I had a sister," she says. "And you, why aren't you as freaked out about this as I am?"

"I am, I am. I just, I don't know what to think about it. I mean, I have a sister. A _twin_ sister! My dad never mentioned it before. He doesn't even talk about my mom," I say.

"I can't believe this is happening," Lydia says. She moves so that she's sitting against the wall, her legs dangling over the edge of the bed. I do the same.

"I can't, either. There's so much I want to know now. Like what's mom like? Where did you two live during your life? I want to know everything."

"Me, too. I want to know about my--our--dad," Lydia says.

Just then, the bell for lunch rang. I look at Lydia, and she's getting off the bed.

"Were're you goin'?" I ask.

"Lunch. I'm starving. I think I'll bring the food back here, though. I want to talk. Do you want me to bring you back anything?" she asks, heading to the door. I think about it for a second.

"Just bring me back whatever you're having," I answer. She nods, then leaves.

I remained sitting on the bed, thinking about what the heck just happened. I have a twin sister that I never knew about. How could Dad not tell me? And everyone else, Uncle Flack, Aunt Stella, Uncle Mac, do they all know about Lydia? I rub my hands over my face and sigh. Lydia needs to hurry back from the cafeteria so I can get some answers.

* * *

"So tell me, what's life like for you? What's Dad like?" Lydia asks before she takes a bite of her hamburger.

"Well," I begin, setting my plate of food down on the floor next to me, "I've lived in New York City all my life. I go to school, obviously. I love playing baseball. I've got lots of uncles, and I've got an aunt. Only they aren't my really aunt and uncles. They work with my dad. Dad's a crime scene investigator, which is really cool. And Dad, well, he's pretty much amazing. He gets a little bit crazy whenever I talk to any boys, but other than that, he's the best dad."

Lydia nods after I finish talking and smiles.

"Sounds like a pretty good life. Totally different from mine," she says.

"Why? What's your life like?" I ask, picking up my food again.

"I live in Montana. I've never been to a big city before. I don't really like sports, but I do like horseback riding. And I take ballet. I've got real uncles, and I live on a ranch with my grandparents. And my mom, she's a CSI, too, and she's wonderful. But sometimes, I wish I could meet my dad, just to know what he's like."

I can't help but laugh to myself when she finishes. Horseback riding? Montana? That sure doesn't sound like a life I'd like to live. But I know how she feels about wanting to meet Dad, because I feel the same way about meeting my mom.

"You've seen _The Parent Trap_ before, right?" I ask. Lydia nods her head yes, so I continue, "Well, why can't we do what they did in the movie? We can switch places!"

Lydia looks at me like I've gone crazy.

"No, we couldn't get away with it. Someone would figure it out," she says.

"How can we not get away with it? In case you haven't noticed, we look the same. Come on, it would be so cool!" I say. I'm getting excited now. I would love to meet my mom, and I know that Lydia and I could totally get away with switching places.

"I don't know. I mean, can we really get away with something we saw in a movie? And how will we get switched back?"

"We'll just tell our parents the truth after awhile. And when they switch us back, we'll pull the 'We can't live without each other' card, and there will be no way they can keep us apart," I say, smiling. Lydia still looks unsure about the idea. "Don't you want to meet Dad?" I ask.

Lydia sighs and nods her head.

"Okay, I guess we could try," she says. I grin and lean over to give her a hug.

"Don't worry, sis. This will totally work."


	6. Chapter 6

The end of camp was finally here, and I couldn't believe that the plan Lucy and I had made up was about to be put into action. My stomach couldn't stop turning at the thought of me going to a strange city instead of my home in Montana. And I'd be with my father instead of my mother, which made my stomach flip at the thought. I had never been a very religious person, but since Lucy had come up with this plan, I prayed every night that it would work.

"Okay," Lucy said as we picked up our bags and began our walk to the area where we would depart, "name all of the people you need to remember."

I rolled my eyes at Lucy and sighed.

"I've done this five times already today. I think I've got it down," I said.

"Just humor me," Lucy said.

"Fine. Aunt Stella is the lady who has really curly hair. Uncle Flack is the really tall guy with ugly ties. Uncle Adam is the goofy guy with a beard. Uncle Sid is the one who has funny glasses. Uncle Sheldon is black. And Uncle Mac is the one who looks like the wheelchair guy from _Forrest Gump_. Am I right?" I ask, glancing at Lucy.

"Perfect," Lucy said, smiling at me.

"You're turn," I said.

"The only people I need to know are Grandma and Grandpa, and of course Mom, since your uncles don't live close to us," she said.

"Yup," I said, returning her smile.

"Hey, wait," Lucy said suddenly, "you forgot to name my best friend!"

"Oh, right," I said, "Bailey's your best friend. She's the one who is here at camp."

"Okay, good. So, are you nervous about this?" Lucy asked.

"Of course I am. Are you?"

"Yeah, I actually am. But I'm sure this will work. It just has to," Lucy said. Suddenly she stopped, and I turned to look at her. "We should say goodbye here. We don't want other people to see us together."

I nod, knowing that was probably a good idea. I knew that Lucy especially wouldn't want Bailey to see them together. Who knew what she'd say.

"Good luck with Mom," I said, putting my bag down and giving Lucy a tight hug.

"Same to you with Dad. Remember to call me for updates, and I'll call you, too," she said. I nodded, then we remained in the embrace for a few more seconds. When we pulled away, I looked at her and gave her a huge smile.

"Bye, Lydia," I said. She laughed, smiling back.

"See ya, Lucy."

I picked up my bag again and headed off without her. When I got to the entrance of the camp, there were crowds of people everywhere. Everyone was hugging each other goodbye and finding their rides. I looked around the area, trying to find where I was supposed to be. Finally, I saw a girl running to me.

"Luce, I've missed you!" she said, throwing her arms around me. This must be Bailey. "It sucks that you got sent to the isolation cabin. I hardly got to see you. How'd you spend the rest of camp?"

I shrugged.

"I managed. It was pretty boring, but I found things to do to entertain myself," I answered. Bailey nodded, then she grabbed my arm.

"We need to get going," she said, dragging me throught the massive crowd of people. I looked over my should one last time, and I saw Lucy standing in the distance, giving me a thumbs up. I smiled in return, then turned around again and let Bailey lead me to wherever it was she was taking me.

* * *

Stepping into the airport, I felt like a lost puppy. Everyone around me knew where to go, what they were doing. And then there was me. I had no clue who I was looking for. Sure, I had Bailey and the rest of the people and the teacher to guide me, but when I got to where they were going, who was I supposed to look for? Lucy had said her dad was supposed to pick her up, but I had no clue what he looked like. During the time I spent memorizing the looks of all my uncles, I had totally forgotten to ask what my own dad looked like. Hopefully he'd see me and come to me. But what if he pretended to know me? What if a totally random guy came up to me, pretending to be my dad, and I go with him because I don't know what my real dad looks like!

No, I was freaking out. I couldn't be freaking out. I had to be calm. I could do this.

I followed the group of people, who were apparently people from Lucy's school, through the crowded airport. As I did, I kept thinking about how I could do this. After all, Lucy's best friend couldn't tell that I was different. Of course, Lucy's best friend doesn't live with her like her dad does. And Lucy's best friend isn't a CSI like her dad is.

There was no way her and Lucy could get away with this! Both their mom and dad were CSIs and detectives. If anyone could tell that something strange was going on, it would be them.

And there I was, freaking out. Again.

Those thoughts of me being caught doing this kept running through my head until I found myself standing in the baggage claim area. The kids around me were suddenly being greeted by their parents as they got their bags. I kept my eyes open, searching the area, trying to see if I could find a man who looked like he was looking for me. I didn't see anyone like that, so I went and waited for my bag to go around on the baggage carousel.

Pretty soon, everyone from my class, even Bailey, had left with their parents. Now it was only me and the teacher who were standing outside of the airport and waiting. I was beginning to grow impatient when suddenly, a taxi pulled up and a man stepped out. He smiled when he saw me and walked to where I was standing. Was he my dad? He had blue eyes like mine, but his hair was dark. I don't know why, but I hadn't expected my dad's hair to be that dark. Then I looked at what he was wearing. He had a hideous tie on.

Uncle Flack.

"It's good to see you, Lucy-Lu," he said when he got to me. He pulled me into a hug and I couldn't help but feel a bit awkward. I'd never met this guy before in my life, but here I was, giving him a hug like I'd known him my entire life.

Ah, but I had known him my entire life. I'm Lucy Messer now, not Lydia Monroe.

"Where's my dad?" I asked when he pulled away.

"He got caught up at the lab," he said, grabbing my bag and waving at my teacher before opening the door for me to get into the taxi cab, "He told me to pick you up, then pick up some Chinese food. He'll meet us at your place."

I nodded, feeling a little disappointed. I had hoped that my dad would be the one to pick me up. I really wanted to meet him right now, but I figure meeting Flack will be a good thing, too. After all, Lucy had told me that he's the uncle she's closest to. Maybe being with him could be fun, too.

"So how was camp?" Flack asked as soon as the cab started moving, "Was it as bad as you made it out to be in your letter to Danny?"

Danny? Who's Danny? I thought back to all the things that Lucy had told me. Oh, Danny's my dad.

"No, it was actually fun. I met some interesting people," I said, thinking about Lucy.

"That's good. Don't get used to it, though. I don't think your dad will let you go back. He missed you too much," Flack said, laughing. I laughed, too, feeling a bit more relaxed than I had when I first stepped off the plane. Flack hasn't noticed anything different, so I haven't messed up yet. So for the rest of the cab ride, I enjoyed spending time with my uncle Flack.

* * *

My stomach flipped when the elevator doors opened on the third floor of the apartment building. I followed Flack off the elevator and down to the end of the hall. He knocked on the door, then we waited. I couldn't believe I was actually here at my dad's place. It was just so unbelievable.

The door opened and I felt like I was about to pass out. It was actually him. My dad.

"Hey," Flack said, walking past him into the apartment, "I brought food, and I picked up some random kid off the street. I figured you might like her."

I watched as my dad rolled his eyes, then turned his attention to me.

"Are you gonna come in?" he asked, making me realize that I hadn't moved a muscle since the door opened, "Or do you still hate me for sending you to camp?" He grinned, an amused look in his eyes.

"I couldn't hate you," I said to him.

"Well then come here," he said, grabbing me and pulling me into a hug.

"I missed you, Dad." It felt strange calling someone by that name. It felt right, though. Just like this hug did.

"Oh, I missed you too, baby girl," he said, kissing the top of my head, "I should have let you stay here instead of go to camp. I didn't realize I'd actually miss you." Pulling away from the hug, he smiled at me.

"I'm glad you made me go," I said honestly. I really was glad he made Lucy go. Had he not, then I wouldn't know about her, or about my dad. I'd just continue living my life in Montana, not knowing that the other half of my family lived in New York.

"I wish you would have written me a letter saying that," he said, shutting the door to the apartment once I was inside, "Instead, I get one letter from you that made me feel guilty for letting you go. And by the way, it's nice to see that you didn't die in a ditch on the way to Los Angeles."

I laughed loudly at this statement. Had Lucy actually written a letter saying that? I'd only known her for a little while, but somehow I could see her writing something like that. She seemed to be a little dramatic at times.

"Are you two planning on eating any time soon?" Flack said suddenly from the kitchen, "The food's getting cold."

I looked at my dad, and he nodded his head to the kitchen.

"Let's get some food before Flack decides to eat it all," he said, heading into the kitchen. I laughed again. I could tell that I was going to enjoy spending my time with these two.

__________________

Late that night, I woke up feeling sick. It was probably from all the Chinese I had stuffed myself with. Both my dad and Flack were giving me strange looks when I only ate a very small amount of food. Flack had even said it just wasn't normal that I wasn't eating a lot. That's when I realized that Lucy's a pig. So, in order to be like Lucy, I had stuffed myself with a large amount of sweet and sour chicken. And now, I was really regretting that.

I turned on the light next to the bed, got up, and walked to the hallway. I had to stand there for a second, trying to determine if I had to go right or left, then I remembered that the bathroom was to the left. As I was walking down the hall, I noticed all of the pictures hanging on the wall. I stopped, forgetting about my upset stomach, and looked at all of them.

They were all pictures of Lucy and her family. Lucy's birthday parties, school plays, baseball games, they were all up on that wall. Most of them were taken with people she hadn't seen yet, but she assumed she would soon. She recognized Flack in a lot of them. And in almost every single picture, Danny was in them, smiling and looking like a proud dad.

For a moment, I felt a pang of jealousy hit me. I wanted that to be both me and Lucy in those pictures. It wasn't fair that for the past eleven years, Lucy had gotten him all to herself. And judging by the pictures and the way Lucy talks about our dad, those two have a special relationship, one that's unlike anything else. They're close, she's his baby girl. I wish that could be me, too!

I quickly get over my jealousy, though. I realize that for Lucy, she's probably thinking the same thing when she looks at pictures of me and my mom. We're both going through this together.

The thought of my mom at that moment makes me feel a little homesick, but I quickly overcome it when I think about the days ahead that will be spend with my dad. I smile, and I hope that Lucy's doing just as good as I am.


End file.
